Family Business
by Aly Uzumaki
Summary: On November 28th, 2016, Sam and Dean get a call from Garth to check on a boy in Chicago. The case leads to the boys discovering Sam's a daddy and so is Dean. Should their boys stay with them? Should their boys stay out of the life? And is it too late to keep them out of it?
1. Chapter 1

-November 28, 2016-

-Chapter 1: Part 1-

The echoes reverberated against the bunker's walls. It was almost seven AM, an annoying time in general for most, but for the Winchesters it was already mid-morning. Both were awake and clothed by six on an average day. Although Dean had been demon free for over a year, the brothers were still struggling to unite back into their familiar roles.

Dean running off with Crowley for a year had damaged their relationship almost passed repair. Sam searched everywhere twice for his brother and found an unrepentant demon. Had it not been for a divine miracle, Dean would have stayed a demon forever and left Sam to travel alone. Sam naively expected that Dean would regret leaving him behind, but Dean stood by his decision. This attitude added a rift between the two even after Dean agreed to return to the bunker.

It was only recently, that they had begun returning to their old routine of early mornings and perpetual hunting. Sam was considering taking on a possible Wendigo case in Michigan, when Dean's other _other _cellphone rang.

"This is Dean... Uh-huh... East 84th? 211? Yep, got it... We'll check it out..." Dean stood up and started shuffling to check for his car keys, "Yeah, we should be there by seven... Watch out for yourself, Garth."

Dean closed his phone and nodded towards Sammy, "Saddle up, Sammy, we've got a case."

"Where at?" Sam asked, as he shoved his laptop into it's case.

Dean grabbed his pre-packed duffel and dug in his leather jacket for Baby's keys. "Chicago, few people've gone missing."

"You sure this is our kind of thing?"

"Garth's not sure. There's a group from Florida heading there, but he wants us to take a look first."

"Why's he want us there, if people are already on it?"

Dean shrugged as he opened the bunker's door. "Don't know, but Garth sounded adamant and we owe him one for helping us on that case last month. Besides it'll be good for Baby to get some mileage on her. The cases have been pretty local lately."

Sam nodded, accepting the answer and followed Dean out the door, before sliding into the old Impala. "Garth say where we should start there?"

"An apartment complex on East 84th Street. A kid's mom went missing a week ago. Garth said the kid's a friend of a friend."

"Think he saw anything?"

"Only one way to find out." And with a turn of his wrist, the Impala's engine gave out a hearty growl and sparked to life. Mindlessly, Dean reached down and popped in a mixed tape. Lisa gave him the tape for his 31st birthday. Both listened in silence as the music played, as the Chevy pulled away from the bunker.

_And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon__  
><em>_Little boy blue and the man on the moon__  
><em>_When you comin' home, Dad__  
><em>_I don't know when, but we'll get together then..._

-Chapter 1: part 2-

It was almost six and the Sun had already set, by the time Dean pulled Baby onto the curb adjacent to the old apartment complex. Traffic had been moderate, so they had made decent time, stopping only twice for food and gas.

The street howled as a gust drove through the various houses and complexes and spread a light dusting of ice and snow along the ground. Sam clutched his jacket and gave a slight shiver, as he retreated from the temperate vehicle. He glanced at the building, before joining Dean inside. It was small for a three-story apartment complex and the years had worn the bricks. The overgrown bushes blocked the first story's windows and almost brushed the second's. Judging by the lack of noise and the various rent signs, it was assumable that the complex was not home to many people. The steps were old and creaked as the pair trekked the second floor.

Half of the rentals either had their numbers lost or had their doors ajar. Dean ran back the address in his head and gave a hearty knock to room 211. There was an audible eep that came from the apartment, followed by a small crash and the hurried shuffling of feet.

Dean started to reach for his pocket, ready to go in guns blazing, when a little voice called out, "Wh-Who's dere?"

Dean lowered his guard by a smidgin, and gave a quick reply, "We're Garth's pals, Sam and Dean Winchester. Garth said you might need some help. Think you could open the door for us?"

"Um, yeah I can, but, um... You're nodda mons'der righ?"

"Nope, we just fight'em. We can help if you let us in."

"Promise you're nodda mons'der?"

"Cross my heart, and hope to die."

"...Kay." The sounds of locks and chains echoed through the hall, before the door flew open and the brothers were face to face with a little boy. He stood atop a step-ladder, armed with a spray bottle and a dull butter knife. Spotting their faces, he sprayed both of their faces and took shelter beneath the ladder to examined them.

"Jesus kid!" Sam shouted as he rubbed the cold substance out of his eyes and looked at his hands, "What is this? Is that glitter?"

"Is mons'der spray wif holy wa'der! Ben maded id for me!" The little one announced, tightening his grip on the dull blade and glaring at Sammy.

Dean held up his hands, glanced down, and stepped down into the apartment, careful not to touch to the crude salt line. "Well nothings burning, so I guess we aren't monsters." Dean crouched down in front of the step-ladder, "Why don't you come out from under there, so we can talk?"

The boy shook his head. Now insides, Dean had a better view of the child. His eyes were swollen, his lip was quivering, his shoulders were shaking, and his hand glowed red from gripping the knife. He was miserable and petrified. And as Sam's boot tromped next to the ladder, the skittish boy lunged towards the edge of the ladder trying to cut Sam's ankle.

Dean caught the boy's wrist and removed the blade from his hand, "Woah! Don't get trigger happy on us kiddo, we're not the bad guys."

Once Dean had the boy disarmed, Sam closed the door and joined Dean in his crouched position, "What's your name, lil' guy?"

The boy drew his knees into his chest and sniffled with tears threatening to fall, "O-Oswald Jen-Jennings."

"Oswald? Well my name is Sam, and this is my brother Dean. We're hunters, we hunt monsters, and we just want to help." Oswald only nodded in response and kept his body contorted.

"You had your guns blazing a second ago little man, why don't you come out and talk with us?" Dean prompted.

Oswald shook his head and tried to push himself further back, "Don' wanna."

Dean leaned back to sit, "Why not?"

"Sca'ded."

"Why's that?"

Tears started flowing and Oswald let out a sharp whine, "I wan' my mooooomma! She didn' come back and she always does! An, an, she always calls, but she didn! An mons'ders prob'ly godded her! An, I'm 'lone an I can'd walk cross da road alone, so I'm gonna run out of food, an, an, I'm gonna die, an mons'ders are gonna eat me!" Oswald lapsed into bawling and started rubbing at his face.

"Shh, shh, shh, calm down, buddy, we'll find your mom," Sam coaxed, as Dean lifted the step-ladder off the boy.

Sam reached out to stoke the hair out of his face, but inconsolable Oswald pushed the hand away. "Is been a week dough! An, an Ben says if is more than two days, dey prob'ly dead!" Oswald bawled and rolled onto the floor.

"Yep, she might be-"

"Dean!"

"Can it Sammy," Dean snapped, before placing a comforting hand on the child's back. "Listen kid, I can't promise your mom's alive, but I can promise I'll find out where she's been and if she's alive, I'll bring her back to you. And if she is dead, I'll gank the son of a bitch, who killed her. But I'm gonna need some help here. You gotta tell me everything you know, so I can find her. Crying ain't gonna bring your mom back."

-Chapter 1: part 3-

It took a few minutes, but finally, Oswald was able to calm himself enough to speak coherently. He pushed himself upright and looked up at two. "Whad, ya needa know?"

"What's your mom's name and where does she work?" Dean asked.

Oswald sniffled and rubbed at his eyes, before replying, "Momma's name is Sparrow, like da' birdie... An she workes ad Leona's."

"Did she have any enemies?"

"No... Momma is nice to ev'body."

"Did she mention anyone acting strange? Did she act strange before she left?" Sam interjected.

"No, she said she'd be home ad five... An she'd wa'ch Ponyo wif me. An, an Momma always calls ev'y couple hours an afore she leaves work! An she calleded a' four last Sunday an said she migh' be a liddle lade a'cause Judy was lade, bu she didn' come home..." Oswald sniffled again and squeezed his legs against his chest. He silently wished that he had thought to grab his stuffed monster Diniel, before letting these strangers in.

Noticing the shift of emotion from Oswald, Sam backed off from questioning. Sam had spent very little time around children. He always saw them as strange, frail little things. They were small humans and Sam thought that if he said one wrong thing, it would mess them up forever. Dean had helped raise Sam and had a year of being a father. And after seeing Oswald's sad tiny face, Sam was more than willing to take the backseat with questioning.

After taking a few mental notes, Dean gently asked, "Do you remember seeing or hearing anything odd since your mom went missing?"

Oswald gave a sullen nod and held up two fingers, "Dis many nighs ago...I heard Mr. Hank shoudin ou'side... An so I looked odda window an he was gone."

"Who's Mr. Hank?"

"He lives ad da end of da hall. He use ta be married to Mrs. Cassidy, but a shif'er godded her," he replied, nibbling on his lip to calm himself.

"A shifter, huh? Those can be pretty scary. Do you know how long ago it got Mrs. Cassidy, lil dude?"

"Uhhh, I dunno, id was long dime ago." Oswald shrugged and rested his chin between his knees. "Mrs. Cassidy ussa wa'ch me, while Momma was ad work... An den, one day she was jus, jus being weird an I sawed her eyes through Momma's web cam. An Ben came in an saved me."

"Thanks little man, you did a real good job telling me what was up. You don't have to worry anymore, okay? Me and my brother are gonna take care of whatever is happening around here."

"Kay..." he softly replied.

Dean nodded and stood up, placing his hand in his pockets and trying to conjure up a few theories. His mind first went to shifters. They had a history at this apartment complex. Hell there was an entire family of them in the city. But disappearing people wasn't typical shifter behavior. One or two maybe, but a quick internet search on the way up suggested that at least five people on 84th street had gone missing in the last month. Sighing, he took a seat on the worn couch across the room.

While Dean focused on theories, Sam turned his attention to Oswald. The boy was scrawny with a tall thin frame and a rounded face. Sam took note that the boy's brown hair was quite greasy and messy. His clothes also didn't seem to fit quite right and his skin was pale. Something about this boy didn't feel right. Taking a tiny step closer to the boy, Sam asked, "Who's been looking out for you the past week?"

"No one, is jus been me," Oswald replied as he fiddled with his hands and avoided eye contact.

Struggling to place an age with the boy, he asked, "How old are you?"

"Five an a half."

"You're five and you've been home alone for a week? Hasn't anyone noticed? Didn't your school call."

"No, acause I'm nodda loudda leave da 'parmen wiff'ou' Momma. An school didn' call, acause we're on break 'til Wensday."

Flabbergasted, Sam pushed his hair back and huffed. Looking at Oswald again, he wasn't so bad-looking for a child that had been alone for a week. No obvious cuts or bruises, not too many food stains on his clothes, overall this kid had done well to keep himself alive. Glancing at the studio apartment, Sam noted that it wasn't in too bad of shape either. There were a few VHS tapes laying out and a couple of stains on the couch, but only books cluttered the floor and counters.

Noticing Sam's surveying and happy to have attention away from him, Oswald scurried across the room. All he wanted was for his mother to come home and cuddle. Diniel, would have to be enough for now though. Oswald climbed onto the queen bed and snuggled Diniel against his chest, wishing he could wake up from this nightmare.

His moment of peaceful solitude was short lived as Dean addressed him, "Hey, kid, did your mom leave you any emergency numbers? Maybe we could call your dad or a family friend or a nearby distant relative?"

Oswald shook his head, "No, Momma doesn' have a family anymore an she doesn' know where my poppa is. Momma says he was a FBI guy with an angry brudder who godded ab-duck-ded by aliens."

A few wheels started turning in Sammy's head, as pieces fell together and his reality came crashing down. Feeling anxious, he rubbed at his temple praying to any god that would listen that he was wrong.

"Shit," Dean cursed, interrupting Sam's thought process, "Sammy, you watch the kid, I'm gonna go check out Leona's."

"What? Dean you're not going alone."

"Uh, yeah, I am. Look, if anything goes wrong, or if I spot anything, I'll call you, alright?"

"Dean, we don't even know what this thing is-"

"That's why I'm going to look into it."

"Dean," Sammy gave a quick glance towards Oswald, "Can we, can we talk outside for a minute?"

"Fine," Dean cast a look at Oswald, "Sammy'll be back in a minute lil' dude." Oswald nodded and held his monster tight.

Dean motioned to Sam and both walked out. "Okay, so what didn't you wanna say in front of the kid?"

"Dean, I just, uh," Sam dug his hand in his pockets, "Dean, I think that kid might be mine."

"Are you serious? You, a dad? Sam you practically gave me a save sex talk when you were sixteen."

"Dean, I'm being serious! Remember that fairy case in Elwood six years back?"

"When you were robosam? Yeah, I remember it, thanks again for looking so hard for me."

Sam rolled his eyes, "I said I was sorry about that, but the woman I slept with was Sparrow Jennings. I don't know about you, but I don't think there are too many Sparrow Jen-"

"Okay, just hold it... You're being serious? You really think you have some long lost kid?"

"I mean, the last name, the time line, and that little story about the uncle being abducted. All of that points to me."

"...Well I'd be lying if seeing that kid didn't take me back. He looks like you did as a kid Sammy, a lot," Dean opened the passenger door of the Impala and handed Sam his laptop. "We can worry about this later though, right now you need to keep your head in the game and do some of your brainiac research stuff on the web."

"Dean-!" Sam called as Dean climbed into the driver's seat.

"Later Sammy!"

"Damn it!" Sam shouted as he kicked a rock into the street. He looked up at the building and saw Oswald looking down at him with familiar green eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

-Chapter 2: part 1-

The staircase became a mountain, as Sam inched his way back. Seeing Oswald's green eyes had eradicated almost all hope for Sam. Green eyes aren't common in general, but these green eyes were special. Sam recognized these eyes, they were Dean's eyes, it was an exact, unmistakable, perfect shade of green. He had looked up to them his entire life.

Sparrow probably died a few days ago. What the hell was he going to do with a kid? He could barely talk to the kid before stepping back and passing him on to Dean. Dean had played Dad for a year and Sam just didn't think he had the stomach for it. Being a loved one of the Winchesters also didn't have a good track record. The smart thing to do would be passing Oswald off to a family. Hell, he was a cute kid, he'd stand a good chance of getting adopted out of a foster home. But Sam knew at his core that he couldn't do that. You don't abandon flesh and blood.

Sam honed in on the word blood. There was no blood proof that Oswald was his. Coincidences happen and Sam prayed this was one. Taking Dean's advice, he shoved down his thoughts, fears, and doubts as deep as they would go.

Reaching 211, Sam sighed in annoyance, finding the room already relocked. Knocking Sam called for Oswald, "Hey, it's just me, Sam. Can you open the door, please? Without a knife this time."

Opening the door, Oswald grumped, "Id was jus' a budder knife... Ben says I have to wai' before I can use a real one."

"A butter knife is a real knife, just not too practical." Oswald only whined in response and squeezed Diniel to his face. "Uh... Right... Well, I'm going to get to work, so, um, tell me if you, uh, need anything."

Sam avoided eye contact and set up his laptop on a table shoved against the left wall. He updated the case file to include Oswald's testimony and scanned the entire document thrice. When researching, Sam liked to condense the most important facts into a single document and memorize the information. This left him with a titanium foundation, before creating any theories.

So far, Oswald had been most helpful in information gathered. Outside of his testimony, all Sam had gathered was that five people on 84th street had gone missing in the last month. None of the people seemed to be otherwise connected and none were from the same building. The only map pattern, Sam could see was that each hit happened on the opposite side of the street and moved east. Now that it had hit at this complex, Sam wasn't sure where its next strike would be. The apartment marked the end of East 84th Street and was next to several train tracks. It'd have to cut through the tracks and a huge park to continue on East 84th Street.

Bewildered, Sam began to search for buildings, parks, and cemeteries near the first attack. Too invested in research, Sam didn't notice Oswald's close presence until he touched the computer screen. "I go dere!" Owald chirped, pointing to an elementary school on 83rd Street.

Sam jumped in surprise, before removing the tiny finger from his screen. "Thanks for the update, kid, but don't touch my screen. I don't want it to get dirty."

"Sorry..." He sulked. Oswald hid his chin in Diniel, but kept his eyes locked on the screen and stood unnecessarily close to Sam's leg.

"Uh, kid, you're kinda invading my personal bubble."

Taking a half step back, he asked, "Nod in your bubble anymore?"

Sighing, Sam tried to ignore him for a few minutes, but struggled to keep focused, especially when Oswald stepped forward again. "Why don't you go color a picture or, um, watch a movie or... something?"

"Don' wanna."

"I really need some space so I can focus on research-"

"Bu' I'm nod puddin my fingers on da screen an' I'm being very nod noisy too!"

"I didn't say you were, it's just hard to focus with you standing right beside me," Sam explained. "So could you please do something to occupy yourself?"

Oswald let out a loud extended whine. "Nooooooo, I wanna see wha' you're doiiiiiiing."

"Oswald, listen-"

"Ozzie! I like bein' called Ozzie."

Sam inwardly sighed, before continuing, still avoiding eye contact, "Ozzie, please go entertain yourself. I can't find your mom with you breathing down my neck."

Offended, Oswald crawled onto the couch and cuddled Diniel as he glared at Sam from afar. "Thank you," Sam remarked turning his attention back to the computer.

Realizing Sam didn't care about his glaring, Oswald resigned to watch a movie, casting the occasional stare at Sam. Now that there was distance between the two, Sam didn't pay any mind the glances and was able to refocus himself. Although, it didn't last long, before Sam's cell started ringing.

Sam answered immediately, "Dean-... Yeah, of coarse I'm still here... Did you catch it's eyes?... Okay, so maybe a crocotta-... Dean don't leave Leona's, I saw it on the map, I can be there in-... No, Dean... Yeah, I'm still working on it... ... Just give me some time and I'll- Dean?" Sam glanced at his phone and cursed, "Dammit, Dean."

He slammed his phone on the table and ran his fingers through his hair, debating whether to stay or to go after Dean. Ozzie had survived this long by himself, he'd be fine for a couple of hours. Sam turned towards the couch to judge the child's state, before jumping up and surveying the entire room. Ozzie was nowhere in sight.

As Sam ducked to check underneath the bed, he heard a loud, sharp, panicked scream from the bathroom. In one move, Sam was on his feet and running for the door, not even bothering to arm himself. His heart imploded, as he opened the door and saw an empty room. He was about to exit the room and begin searching outside, when he heard a strained voice call, "Sam!"

Sam whipped his head to the right and spotted the ajar window with a tiny leg hanging out of it. "Ozzie!" He shouted, before gripping the boy's ankle, fully opening the window, and pulling the little one inside. After a quick, but detailed observation of the yard and window, Sam realized nothing had pulled Ozzie out, but rather the boy had been trying to climb out of the window.

Glaring at the shaken little one in front of him, Sam struggled to formulate a proper response, "What...? What the hell were you trying to do?!"

Ozzie covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut with Diniel tucked into his heavy coat. "Don' yell, " he whimpered. When Sam didn't respond, Ozzie started shaking and crying, keeping his hands firmly over his ears, fearing more shouting.

Sam's phone conversation had been loud, but hearing Leona's was enough for Ozzie. He had been patient long enough and he wanted his mother; so he had gathered up his winter clothes from below the sink used for seasonal storage, stuffed Diniel in his coat, and tried to climb out the window, planning to be with his mother, before Sam even noticed his absence. However, once he was on the sill, he realized how very far the ground seemed to be from him. He'd tried to swing his leg back inside, when the old window fell onto his calf. The sudden movement, startled him into an uncomfortable position and triggered the loud scream that had alerted Sam.

Seeing Ozzie's pathetic state, Sam closed his eyes and took two deep breathes. He was still furious and confused, but he didn't want to scare Ozzie anymore than he already was. After a moment of listening to Ozzie trying to stop his sobbing, Sam got on his knees and gently spoke at a slow pace, "Hey, calm down... It's alright, I'm not yelling anymore, okay? You're fine."

Barely able to hear, Ozzie hesitatingly lowered his hands as the giant man spoke. He opened his eyes and shook his head, " 'm nod fine. I wan' my Momma... I need her... 'm nod fine." Reaching into his coat, Ozzie pulled out Diniel and held him to his chest with all his might.

Sam watched as Ozzie tried to sooth himself by tightening his muscles and squeezing the stuffed monster to his chest. Sam wasn't sure exactly what to do, but his body seemed to move on its own and wrap a hesitate arm around the small body. When the boy froze, Sam feared he'd made the wrong choice, but his fears were quickly alleviated. Ozzie released one arm from Diniel and gripped onto Sam's shirt and burrowed his head into Sam's chest.

" 'm sorry," he sniffled.

"... Uh, it's okay," Sam awkwardly responded, patting Ozzie's back, before looking down at the little one in his arm and asked, "Wanna tell me, why inspired your window jump?" Blushing, Ozzie mumbled into Sam's chest. "My ears aren't in my shirt," Sam stated as he pulled back and looked at Ozzie's eyes.

"I misjudged da dis'ence from here do da ground..." he moped.

"Well, we aren't too high up," scoffed Sam, before correcting himself, "But, you still could have gotten hurt. You could have cracked your skull open."

"I know, 'm nod dumb," Ozzie pouted, glaring at the floor.

"Yeah, jumping out a window is a real smart thing to do."

With a glare, Ozzie retorted, "I didn' e'speck da window fallin on me. I hadded my coad, my boo's," the boy unzipped his coat and gestured to several internal pockets, "An' mons'er spray, an' a budder knife, an'... an' a compass, AN'! I had Diniel! I was pa'peared," he finished with a huff.

"Okay, kid, first of all," Sam grabbed the knife and monster spray from the coat, "You need to stop with the solider routine, alright? You're a kid, you don't need weapons. My brother's going to find your mom, and I'm going stay right here with you, alright? Everything's fine."

"I's nod fine, dop saying i's fine! I's nod fine! I's nod..." Ozzie snapped, stamping his foot and rubbing at his eyes.

"Okay, it's not fine, are you happy now? Does that make you feel better?" Sam grouched.

"NoooOooOOoooOOO!" He whined, throwing his head back and squeezing Diniel. "Yoooou are sooooOOooo meeeaAaaAAAAN!"

"You're not being very charming either shortie."

Ozzie gasped in offense, "I i's nod shore! You are jus' a big weed!" Satisfied with his counter-insult, Ozzie left in a proud huff and took refuge underneath the bed comforter.

Sam only rolled his eyes in response. He was not getting into a fight with a five year old. Determined to keep a better eye on him this time, Sam moved his laptop to the kitchen, so the boy would remain in his peripheral vision. With one last look at the wriggling mass underneath the comforter, Sam returned to work with a small smile.

-Chapter 2 part 2-

In under two hours, Dean returned in a disheveled state carrying a small plastic bag. His clothes had several large tears and a few blood and sweat stains. And although, both him and Sam had been in far worse states before, Sam was grateful that Oswald had already fallen asleep. Dean sat across from Sam and pulled out a beer from his bag.

"Where's the kid?"

"Sleeping pretty deep, over there," Sam gestured to the bed, before asking, "...So, Sparrow?"

"Been dead for almost a week," Dean took a large swig of beer, "Body was gross and the thing was a son of a bitch to kill."

"What are we gonna do about Ozzie?"

"Ozzie now huh...? Figure we'd drop him off with someone for a few days," After another swig, Dean presented a small white box to Sam, "And find out what this puppy says."

Glancing at the cheek swab kit in front of him, Sam took a deep breath in. "And then what Dean?"

He shrugged in response, "Figure if he's not yours, we drop him off at a police station, let them deal with him... If he's yours, well, that's your business."

"Dean... if he's really mine, I don't know what I'm gonna do."

"Well," Dean gestured to some writing on the white box, "You've got 3-4 business days to think on it."

Sam grunted. "Like that's en-" Sam paused hearing the jingling of keys in the door. Sharing a look, both brothers reached for their hips and crept towards the door. The key jingler, realizing the door was already unlocked, withdrew his hand and cautiously opened the door an inch. "Oz, you in here?" a young man's voice asked, before slowly creaking the door open further. Seeing Sam's shadow, he jumped into the room, gun drawn and aimed at Sam.

"Who the hell are you?" the young man asked. He stood clad in an worn leather jacket and scoffed up jeans, held up by a belt with a hostler. The youth was an inch shy of Dean's height, minus his spiked brown hair. A chunky female, quickly joined him, and held a knife threateningly at Dean. A third individual stayed, in the shadow of the door, watching the scene unfold.

Cocking his gun, Sam kept his barrel aimed at the male youth, and took a small side step, "Who are you?"

"I've got the keys, I ask the questions." He cast a momentary glance towards the corner of the room, where Oswald slept in plain site. Seeing the boy's chest rise and fall, he relaxed by a half degree and scanned Sam's body. "Did Garth send you?"

Not relaxing for a moment, Sam countered, "How do you know Garth?"

"Good friend, gives us a place place to stay sometimes. Now answer my question."

"Yeah, said a kid was out here alone."

Accepting that response, the youth locked eyes with Sam and slowly lowered his gun and dropped it on the ground. In good faith, Sam lowered his weapon, but held onto it. Nodding, but keeping his eyes on Sam, he called. "Maeve, stop dancing with the other one. Ozzie's safe."

"I'll lower mine, when he lowers his."

"No way in hell am I lowering my weapon. Especially with your buddy in the shadows over there."

The red head only snorted in response as she glared at Dean. Trying to diffuse the situation, The original aggressor held up his hands and glanced at the door, "Come out Collin and show you're unarmed." Slowly, a lanky teen slipped in from the door way, mimicking the young adult's stance of hands up.

After glancing at the teen, Sam looked to Dean still gridlocked with Maeve, "Dean, stop... Dean! You've got a gun-."

"And she's got a knife."

Trusting the giant man in front of him, the young adult turned his back on Sam to face Dean and Maeve. After zeroing in on Dean's face, Ben's voice dropped, "Maeve. Drop the knife."

"Ben-."

"Drop the damn knife."

After casting a quick glance at him and catching the dark glint in his eyes, she returned her knife to between her belt and flouncy shirt. "Fine." She held up her hands in resignation.

"Dean," Sam cautioned. Huffing, Dean retracted his gun.

Several moments of silence and observation passed before Dean spoke, directing his attention to Ben, "Who are you?"

Ben's brows twitched, before replying, "I'm Ben and these are my friends: Maeve and Collin. You're Dean Winchester, so I assume the tall guy behind me is Sam.

Scanning the youth in slight puzzlement, Dean asked, "We met?"

"A long time ago," with a final odd look, Ben turned his attention back to Sam, "What got Sparrow?"

Dean answered from behind, "Don't know, but silver took care of it. Some breed of a shape-shifter."

Ben paid no mind to Dean and crossed his arms in thought for a moment. Refusing to face Dean, Ben spoke to Sam, "Thanks for taking care of Oz. We can handle the fallout from here."

"Yeah, well that doesn't really work for us," Dean curtly replied, crossing in front of Ben and surveying the rest of the group.

Ben whipped his head to Dean, "Why not? He's none of your business."

"He's our business for the next few days," Dean slyly replied before gesturing to the group of young adults, "And I'm not leaving a kid with more kids."

Ben snorted in response, "Mae and I are full fledged and legal." Ben clicked his tongue at Dean, "And frankly given the Winchesters track record, Ozzie would be safer with literally anyone else. I told Garth to send the nearest hunters, but you two walking death sentences."

"Ben," Maeve warned.

Dean was about to retort, but Sam cut the space between the two and addressed Ben, "Listen, we don't want any trouble. Just give us a couple days with him and then he's all yours."

"Why do you want him at all?"

"I met his mom a few years back, while my brother was missing and-"

Ben moved past Sam towards Dean and gave him an exasperated look, "Please for the love of God tell me, you aren't the angry midget who got the anal probe."

"The one and only."

Ben flung around, chewing his lip and feeling pale. "Walk away and don't look back. He's a good- no, he's a great kid and he can't be in the line of fire. I'm begging you to leave him."

"I've got a swab test and if he's mine, I'm not sure what I'll do."

Ben looked away from Sam and paced the room, furiously stroking his head back, "You can't take him."

"Ben," Maeve gripped Ben's shoulders from behind and spoke softly, but coolly to him, "Calm down."

"Absolutely not, I'm not letting it happen to Ozzie. I'd die before I let him be taken and- and just get his whole life fucked over by these asshats."

"Dying can be arranged."

"Dean, knock it off."

Ben glared at the brothers and shook Maeve off. "No, let him. You've screwed me over enough, take your best shot Winchester. Shoot me!" Ben patted his own chest with pure rage, "About time you finished the job."

Seeing the tantrum in front of him, Dean was half tempted to pull his gun from his holster, but any violent intentions he had were cut short. A small figure finally stirred from highly needed slumber. Ozzie sat up, rubbing sleep from eyes, before quickly zeroing in on Ben. "Ben!" In a matter of seconds the little ball of a boy had jumped part way up the young adult and clung to him.

Ben's anger recoiled inside, as he gave the boy a tight hug of relief, "Hey buddy, sorry I took so long. You doing okay?"

"'m okay now! I missed you aloda alod! Didja find Momma an ge'd da mon'ser? I hanalded myself very good. I ea'ded everyday an sleeped an I cleaned my deeth all by myself."

He swallowed hard at the mention of Sparrow and stroked Ozzie's hair, before releasing the boy from his hold. "I missed you too, half pint," he paused and looked the boy over for any injuries, "You need to sleep, alright? Put on some PJ's and knock yourself out okay? We'll talk tomorrow."

"...Promise, you won' leabe?" he asked quietly.

"Maeve and Collin are going to stay with you, while I talk with these two clowns outside," he gestured to the brothers and Dean hmphed in response, "But I promise I won't leave the apartment building without you. Think you can mange without me for a bit?"

"Uh-huh."

Ben smiled and ruffled Ozzie's hair, "Thanks, Oz, I won't be long, twenty minutes tops."

"Nigh' Ben," Ozzie replied quietly, giving the young man a tight hug, before rummaging through a clothes box under the bed.

"Goodnight Ozzie," Ben called, before ushering the brothers outside, commanding his fellow youths to stay, and assuring Dean that Ozzie would be safe with them.

Ben stayed close to the apartment door, knowing if he was more than a few feet away, his anger and panic would take over again. He surmised being within earshot of Ozzie would keep him calm. Dean Winchester was the last man he wanted to speak to, but he tried to keep an open mind to Sam. The only thing that bothered Ben about Sam was the track record of death and despair that came with his surname.

As Sam closed the apartment door, Ben took a breath and asked, "How long will it take to know if he's your's?"

"Five days at the most."

Ben nodded, "And if he's not yours, will you leave us be?"

Dean cut off Sam's reply, "No, we won't."

"Why? He'd be safe with me and if I couldn't handle him, I have contacts that would take him in."

"Because that kid traumatized enough," Dean growled, "When we got here, he was armed with holy water and knife. And I can take a wild guess on who's been scaring him with monster talk. He's five and I'm not gonna let you drag him into the life."

Curling his fists at his size, Ben snorted like a bull and gave Dean a death glare, "I didn't pull him into the life and I'm not going to force him into it. But you know what, that kid has been traumatized and he has a right to know what happened to him and to deal with it. I'm not gonna make him fight, that will be his choice, but I'm sure as hell going to make sure that he knows what's out there, so he can see when danger coming. Unlike you Dean, I don't come into to people's life, take away their defenses, and leave them to rot."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked surveying Ben.

"Well you don't remember me, but maybe you remember my mom, who I guess was just a another pet for you. She took you in, put up with your night terrors, your drinking, your womanizing, and bad attitude for a year. And how the hell did you repay her. You got her caught up in the life, disappear, almost get her killed, and then sick your pet angel on her to wipe her memory." Ben swung at the air in front of Dean, purposely missing him with what little control he had left, "You better fucking remember her, because she died because of what you and your shitty ass angel pet did."

Before Dean could respond, Sam surmised, "Ben Braeden."

"God Dean, how pathetic are you, that your brother, who I've never met, can recognize me before you can!" In anger Ben kicked the wall of the empty adjacent apartment.

Dean drew his gun at him, "Who are you?"

"Shoot me, go ahead and finish off my whole family tree," Ben challenged him.

"Dean put the gun down."

Dean ignored Sam and glared at Ben, "You aren't him. Cas locked up his memories tighter than Alcatraz."

"My friends' memories weren't wiped, the neighbors' memories weren't wiped. For weeks they asked us were some stranger named Dean went. And when the demonic signs started showing up, we thought it was a storm. We couldn't protect ourselves, so we got to sit back in our bodies, watching ourselves gut people like sheep until the demons hitched a ride somewhere else. I remembered everything your angel buddy had blocked out and my mother was left incapacitated because of YOU AND YOUR RUNAWAY LIKE A BITCH MENTALITY! GO AHEAD AND SHOOT ME!"

Dean straightened his aim with a burning hatred in his eyes and ready to shoot, but Sam quickly disarmed him and pushed his brother aside, before addressing Ben, "Stop antagonizing him and calm the hell down."

"Sammy," Dean growled, "Stay out of this."

"Dean-!" Sam began to scold, when Ozzie's apartment door swung open.

"We're going to Garth's," Maeve proclaimed, "You two obviously need a buffer and Garth is the only one we all trust. We're leaving tomorrow, or god help me Ben _I'll_ shoot you. You're lucky Collin had enough sense to give Ozzie his Ipod." Maeve glared at Dean and grabbed Ben's arm, "He's really Ben." Maeve quickly preformed the supernatural tests for good measured. "We're leaving tomorrow, so at least one of you needs to get a hotel, until then," she demanded gesturing to Dean and Ben.

Ben took a gruff sigh and left volunteering, "I'll sleep in Princess, but you and Collin stay with Ozzie."

"I'm taking a walk, watch the kid, Sammy," Dean said, "We're going to Garth's tomorrow."

"Dean-"

"Later Sammy." Sam glared at his brother's back, but made no move to follow him.

"Sam," Maeve said, waiting for eye contact before continuing, "You can take the couch, it pulls out into a bed."

Sam nodded in response and after a moment of gathering his thoughts, he followed Maeve back into the apartment. Ozzie was already asleep with bulky headphones covering his ears. Collin sat beside him on the floor, fiddling with his fingers silently, not reacting to Maeve and Sam's entrance. Something about him felt off. He was noticeably younger than Maeve and Ben and had yet to say a word. Considering the other two's boldness, Sam wondered if Collin was just the token quiet one or had something wrong with him. Sam was about to scan him more, but Maeve interrupted him and presented him his bed. Sam thanked her and tried to sleep all night, but after the day he had, he knew sleep would never come.


End file.
